Can I take Sudafed while on antidepressants?
Pseudoephedrine can interact with medications that affect the brain. These include tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), some types of headache medications, and caffeine. It's best to avoid interactions with pseudoephedrine. If needed, your healthcare provider can help suggest safer alternatives.
The short answer is: you can, but it's not recommended because of the risks. The combination of antidepressants and cold medicine may increase serotonin levels, which could cause Serotonin Syndrome.
The risk or severity of serotonin syndrome can be increased when Pseudoephedrine is combined with Cannabidiol. Pseudoephedrine may decrease the antihypertensive activities of Captopril. The risk or severity of serotonin syndrome can be increased when Carbamazepine is combined with Pseudoephedrine.
Antidepressants and dextromethorphan or pseudoephedrine
It's generally considered safe to take antidepressants while taking cold medicine. “However, cold/flu medications that contain dextromethorphan may increase the risk of a rare side effect called serotonin syndrome when taken with SSRIs and SNRIs,” Dr.
Do not use sertraline with buspirone (Buspar®), fentanyl (Abstral®, Duragesic®), linezolid (Zyvox®), lithium (Eskalith®, Lithobid®), methylene blue injection, tryptophan, St John's wort, or some pain or migraine medicines (eg, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, tramadol, Frova®, Imitrex®, Maxalt®, Relpax®, Ultram®, Zomig®).
Some products that may interact with this drug are: pimozide, other drugs that can cause bleeding/bruising (including antiplatelet drugs such as clopidogrel, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen/naproxen, "blood thinners" such as warfarin/dabigatran).
by Drugs.com
A nasal decongestant and acetaminophen combination tablet or a nasal decongestant spray may be of benefit, and are safe. Talk with your pharmacist.
Avoid taking MAO inhibitors (isocarboxazid, linezolid, metaxalone, methylene blue, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, safinamide, selegiline, tranylcypromine) during treatment with this medication. Most MAO inhibitors should also not be taken for two weeks before treatment with this medication.
Two commonly-used decongestants are pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) and phenylephrine (Sudafed PE). These medications work great to clear nasal passages and help us breathe better. But to our bodies, they look very similar to the stimulants discussed earlier and can have the same side effects, including anxiety.
...
Signs and symptoms include:
- Agitation or restlessness.
- Insomnia.
- Confusion.
- Rapid heart rate and high blood pressure.
- Dilated pupils.
- Loss of muscle coordination or twitching muscles.
- High blood pressure.
- Muscle rigidity.
Can I take Sudafed PE with sertraline?
ibuprofen sertraline
Using sertraline together with ibuprofen may increase the risk of bleeding. The interaction may be more likely if you are elderly or have kidney or liver disease. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.
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It can be potentially dangerous to take sertraline with:
- stimulants like MDMA (ecstasy) or cocaine.
- hallucinogens like LSD.
- novel psychoactive substances (which used to be known as legal highs) like mephedrone.

Combining these medications can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or ...
Drug or alcohol use.
Illicit drug use and alcohol can cause strong mood changes, which can make antidepressants ineffective.
A: Many antidepressants, including fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and sertraline (Zoloft), can interact with cold medicines containing the cough suppressant dextromethorphan (DM) or the antihistamine chlorpheniramine (British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, December 2010).
No interactions were found between Claritin and Zoloft.
Some of the feared adverse effects include QT prolongation, arrhythmias including Torsades de pointed, and sudden cardiac death, which are associated with older antidepressants and are rarely seen with SSRIs, including sertraline.
Life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm
Sertraline (Zoloft) can affect your heart rhythm, which can be serious and life-threatening. One example includes lengthening the time period from when the heart pumps and then relaxes. This is known as QT prolongation.
People may experience side effects when taking Zoloft. Some affect the heart or the nervous or digestive systems, while others influence mental or sexual health.
Interactions between your drugs
Using diphenhydrAMINE together with sertraline may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination.
What should you not mix with SSRIs?
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – a common type of painkiller that includes ibuprofen, diclofenac or naproxen.
- antiplatelets – a type of medicine used to prevent blood clots, such as low-dose aspirin and clopidogrel.
Try rubbing diluted eucalyptus oil on the chest as a decongestant, or inhale eucalyptus or peppermint oil to clear stuffiness. Adding lavender, cedar, or lemon to steam may also soothe nasal passages. Inhaling menthol not only provides relief from nasal congestion, but might help inhibit infection as well.
A nasal decongestant and acetaminophen combination tablet or a nasal decongestant spray may be of benefit, and are safe. Talk with your pharmacist.
Avoid taking MAO inhibitors (isocarboxazid, linezolid, metaxalone, methylene blue, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, safinamide, selegiline, tranylcypromine) during treatment with this medication. Most MAO inhibitors should also not be taken for two weeks before treatment with this medication.
It's best to avoid combining antidepressants and alcohol. It may worsen your symptoms, and it can be dangerous. If you mix antidepressants and alcohol: You may feel more depressed or anxious.
- ever had an allergic reaction to pseudoephedrine or any other medicine.
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- heart disease.
- taken medicines for depression known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) in the last 2 weeks.
- diabetes.
- an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism)
Do not use sertraline with buspirone (Buspar®), fentanyl (Abstral®, Duragesic®), linezolid (Zyvox®), lithium (Eskalith®, Lithobid®), methylene blue injection, tryptophan, St John's wort, or some pain or migraine medicines (eg, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, tramadol, Frova®, Imitrex®, Maxalt®, Relpax®, Ultram®, Zomig®).
Fever, hyperkinesia, urinary incontinence, aggressive reaction, sinusitis, epistaxis, and purpura were reported in clinical trials in pediatric patients at an incidence of at least 2% and at a rate of at least twice that of placebo.
There are 155 drugs known to interact with Sudafed Congestion (pseudoephedrine), along with 6 disease interactions. Of the total drug interactions, 14 are major, 136 are moderate, and 5 are minor.
Sudafed PE may make you feel unusual nervousness or anxiety. That's because decongestants can have a stimulant effect on your brain. This can make you feel nervous or agitated in some cases.
Why should you not take Sudafed at night?
A stuffy nose keeps sleep at bay, but so does pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in many OTC decongestants (it's been known to cause insomnia).
There are no known interactions between Zoloft and caffeine, but it's important to consider the effects that caffeine can have on the mental health conditions that Zoloft treats. “It should be safe to drink coffee with Zoloft,” says David Schaefer, MD, psychiatrist at Southwest Behavioral Health Center in St.
For people with chronic or severe depression, medication may be needed on a long-term basis. In these cases, antidepressants are often taken indefinitely. That is, in part, because depression is not an illness that can be cured.
- Feeling or being sick. Try taking pseudoephedrine with or after a meal or snack. ...
- Headaches. Make sure you rest and drink plenty of fluids. ...
- A dry mouth. Chew sugar-free gum or suck sugar-free sweets.
- Feeling restless, nervous or shaky. ...
- Difficulty sleeping.